Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) may include forming mechanical elements, electronics, sensors and actuators on a common silicon substrate using micromachining technology. MEMS are becoming increasingly important in scientific and engineering fields. It is desirable for both development and testing that the mechanical properties of MEMS structures can be accurately observed. This may require static and/or dynamic observation.
Various methods exist for optical metrology. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,818 discloses an off-axis digital holographic microscope. The illumination source is expanded into a collimated beam, with magnification provided by optical lenses.